When Worlds Collide
by Sully1
Summary: A familiar story, or so it seems for cloud and the gang, but as the story develops, a sinister plot unravels...
1. Default Chapter

When Worlds Collide  
  
Cloud was thinking. It had been barely 6 months since him and hiompanions had rid the world of Sephiroth. And yet it seemed like ifetime. The entire world was changing around them.  
  
Cloud and the gang had rid the world of all monsters that were eveemotely dangerous, and people were able to go around the world free froeril. After they had finished their quest,  
  
Cloud had lost touch with the gang. The only people he had stayed iontact with were Tifa and Barret.  
  
Yet there was always plenty to do in the villa he had bought in Costa del  
Sol.  
  
"Well, at least i`ll never be lonely," he said to himself as he heard  
Barret`s long line of Curses travel up the stairs.  
  
Barret, Tifa, Marlene and Elmyra all lived with him now. After Aeris`  
death, it was Tifa who suggested that Elmyra came to live with them, anhey were really grateful for all of her help.  
  
After a while he heard the PHS ringing downstairs and Tifa`ndistinct voice answer it. He didn't really care who was at the other end,  
but that was all about to change.  
  
"Yo, Cloud," came Barret`s voice. "Get your spikey ass down herow!"  
  
He sighed. Some things will never change. Resigned to his duty, hlowly descended the stairs and entered the main room. As he entered thoom he saw Tifa looking worried and Barret  
  
looking unusually uneasy.  
  
"what`s up?" Cloud asked.  
  
"Reeve was on the phone," Tifa answered. Reeve was the head of Shin-Ra Innd was the person who controlled Cait Sith, a mechanical Mog, who had gonn the journey with the companions.  
  
"So what does he want?" Cloud enquired.  
  
" He told us that there is an immense amount of lifestream energy is beineleased."  
  
"...So?" Cloud said. This was not unusual since Reeve had shut down alhe Mako reactors. The Planet had an abundance of energy and was alwayooking for a way to expend that energy.  
  
"It's centred around the...North Crater" Barret said.  
  
"And the last time that happened..." Tifa broke off.  
  
Cloud knew very well the last time that happened. It was when Sephirotas trying to take over the world and had formed a barrier around the North  
Crater.  
  
"That can`t be happening now though," Tifa said, reading the expression on  
Cloud's face.  
  
"All right then, we`ll go check it out in the morning" Cloud said.  
  
"How are we going to get there?"Barret enquired, voicing his opinion.  
  
"... Well, Sulli is out of the question, "Cloud told them. Sulli was  
Cloud's gold chocobo and,  
  
apart from the fact that he could go anywhere, he was too small to carrll three of them.  
  
"If we can`t use him, then that leaves only one option..."Barret said,  
slowly.  
  
Cloud could see the cogs turning in his mind, but Cloud, feeling that ias too late for any thinking,(it was WAY past Marlenes bedtime) decided torget about it. As he walked along the  
  
corridor towards his room, he noticed the door to Tifa`s room was ajar.  
  
He knocked and then entered. Tifa was sitting on her bed sortinhrough her materia.  
  
"I'm not too sure what materia I should take Cloud. What do yohink?"  
  
Noticing that Tifa`s favourite materia, her Master Command materias in her hand and that she was using her God's Hand weapon he told her to  
"Take the Master command with a FullCure  
  
Materia and, maybe the Phoenix Summon as well."  
  
"Thanks, Cloud!" Tifa said joyfully. "What do you think Barret is up to?"  
she asked him.  
  
"Who cares?" Cloud answered, again feeling that is was too late for anhinking.  
  
"In any case, get some sleep, `cause we leave early tomorrow, so brepared." Cloud told her.  
  
He left her room and turned into his bedroom. He practically felnto his bed and started thinking what had happened that day. Trouble ahe crater, Reeves` phone call and reports of  
  
monsters around Nibelheim.  
  
Taking his own advice, he decided to get some rest.  
  
" Why does everything happen to me?" He thought to himself.  
  
Still, tomorrow was another day. 


	2. Chapter 2

Cloud woke with a start. At first, he wondered what had interrupteis sleep, but the shrill noise coming from his PHS brought him back tonscious thought.  
  
"...Hello?" Cloud said towards the phone, groggily.  
  
"Cloud, is that you?" Reeve's voice enquired. " Thank God!" He sighed,  
without waiting for an answer.  
  
"So what`s up?" Cloud asked. It was not usual for anyone to phonim at what he thought was around 4 A.M.  
  
He knew that Reeve only phoned the group when it was an emergency,  
let alone at 4 A.M.  
  
"You know that I phoned yesterday, about the crater. Well, we sent one ohe new genilkas over there about half an hour ago."  
  
"So?" Cloud said, failing to see the importance of the conversation.  
  
" You don't understand, we dropped some test samples into it and they jusisappeared! They were attached to the end of a rope and the line cutraight off! When we pulled the rope back up it looked as though it haeen cut with some type of blade."  
  
"Okay then, we'll go check it out in the morning," Cloud said.  
  
"Great! I'll send Cait Sith down later on. Thanks Cloud."  
  
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he mulled over what Reeve had just said tim. `It looked as if it had been cut with some type of blade...`  
  
..."Sephiroth???" Cloud thought to himself.  
  
He knew that he was not going to get any sleep tonight.  
  
A quick glance at the clock on his bedside cabinet told him that ias nearly three in the morning. Wondering whether Reeve got any sleep all, he fell back into bed and tried to settle down, but after 5 minutes oossing and turning, he decided that sleeping tonight was a lost cause.  
  
Feeling that he might as well do something useful, he started to gell of his equipment ready.  
  
He opened his drawer and took out a box with the words `MEGALIXIR`  
written on it.  
  
"Best take a few of these with me..." Cloud thought. He stepped towardis wardrobe and opened it.  
  
As he took a glance around the compartment, he smiled to himself. No-  
one, not even Yuffie, could have realized that thee was a secret door ihe back, which opened up a space at the back, in which Cloud stored all ois materia.  
  
He pushed the door and surveyed his materia. Keeping in mind thateria what Tifa was taking, he decided on The Master Magic materia he haeceived from Bugenhagen, (an odd fellow, but a kind heart) And his mosowerful materia, the mastered Knights of the Round Materia.  
  
Next, he pushed aside his clothes and stared at his pride and joy,  
the Ultima Weapon.  
  
He slid the materia into the slots in the weapon and went to yet another ohe many drawers in the room. Inside there must of been at least a dozeifferent types of armour in there, Plain ones, small ones, shiny ones antylish ones (they were Tifa`s favourites)  
  
Noticing that he wasn't taking a lot of materia with him, he selectene of his favourites, The Zeidrich. It was a on of a kind armour and iidn't have any materia slots in it, so it was perfect for him.  
  
Putting his equipment in a corner of the room, he sat on the cornef his bed. The clock caught his eye and, with a sudden jolt, he realizehat it was half past 4.  
  
"Geez, the Sun`ll be up in a minute," He thought to himself.  
  
As it was summer, the exotic resort of Costa Del Sol was packed witourists, and Cloud could already hear shopkeepers getting ready fonother day in the sun.  
  
Not wanting to stay in his room all the morning, he went downstairnd started to get the dinner ready.  
  
2 and a half hours later Cloud called, "GET UP YOU LAZYBONES! WE`VE GOT A  
VISITOR!"  
  
Finally at half past seven, a very disgruntled group comprised of  
Barret, Tifa, Marlene and Elmyra trudged down the stairs.  
  
" Hey guys! How ya doin`? Said a familiar voice to their left. 


	3. Chapter 3

Everyone turned and looked to where the voice had come from.  
  
"Cid!!!" Tifa exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" she asked.  
  
"Hello to you too,Tifa," Cid replied in mock sarcasm.  
  
"Barret called last night on the PHS and said that there was trouble dowt the crater. He said that you guys needed a lift..."  
  
`Ah, so thats what Barret was on about last night,`Cloud thought timself  
  
"...So here I am," Cid finished. The Highwind is parked near thountains to the North, so we can leave whenever you are ready."  
  
"Wait, I`ve got an idea!" Tifa said. "Why don`t we get the others?  
Cait Sith will be there, so lets get the rest of the group!"  
  
"Well, I thought that you would say that, so I picked up Vincent ohe way from the Gold Saucer," Cid told them.  
  
"Vincent? At the Gold Saucer? Having... FUN???" Tifa said imazement.  
  
"Not quite," Came a cold voice from the door.  
  
They turned to see a tall, raven-haired man dressed in a flowing, marroape and black shirt and trousers standing in the doorway.  
  
"I am a security guard there," Vincent told the gang.  
  
"Oh," Tifa said, noticing that Vincent had not changed in thlightest since they had last met.  
  
"Come on ya fools! Were wasting time here. Lets go get the othernd head to the crater!" Barret said in his loud voice.  
  
"O.K then, it`s settled! Lets go find the others!" Tifa told them.  
  
"Hold on Cloud," Elmyra asked just as they were leaving.  
  
"You forgot this,"She said as she held out a glowing Yellow Orb. His Enemy-  
Skill materia. He was the only one of the gang that had managed to gevery single skill on it.  
  
"Thanks!" He said as he took the Materia from her and slotted it intis weapon.  
  
The group waved goodbye to Marlene and Elmyra at the edge of town aneaded for Cid`s airship.  
  
Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Cid and Vincent stood on the deck of the  
Highwind, the familiar noise of machinery in their ears once more.  
  
"Lets see..." Cid pondered. " According to this map, The nearesestination is..." 


End file.
